Of Moon and Sun

Prologue

"I understand that of course, Your Highness, but I still have my orders. King Strongpaw delivered them himself and expects everyone to abide by them, including his son." Replied the captain, starting to lose his patience with an insolent Cushou. Cushou didn't like at all the way this captain was treating him. Why did everything have to be so difficult?

"I said I was bored." Cushou repeated angrily. He was now standing on his back legs, showing his position as prince. Even so, he was still smaller than the big captain. He wobbled only slightly and said,

"I am the prince. You are a captain. Stand aside, now. Those are your new orders."

The captain sighed angrily and stepped aside. 'Who cared if that little twit if a cat got lost in the forest?' He thought. 'I could just tell the king that the new recruit dropped his gaze for a little wink of sleep, and that his son took it as the perfect chance to sneak off. Course the recruit would probably be killed if the prince got lost. Eeh, if it would save my fur, than so be it.'

Cushou snuck forward, silently cursing the captain for his reluctance to let him through. He could have been seen and that would have ended his little expedition into the forest. When he reached the forest's edge Cushou took one final look back at the carriage to make sure that no guards were following him, and then darted into the trees.

Once under the cover of the trees, Cushou began to relax. Now he could find something to amuse himself, alone, without the annoying guards or his over protective father. He dodged roots and ducked under branches, all the while studying the vines and twigs.

"Ooh, that twig would be perfect for me." He commented. "That vine is long and curly, maybe that would be good. Cool, that rock is shaped like something pointy! Father never lets me touch pointy things. I'll think I'll have it."

Just as Cushou bent down to pick it up, his cape snagged on a nearby thorn bush. He tugged and tugged but it remained stuck, firmly caught in the thorny branches. One last big tug was all it took to rip the cape free, though a piece of of torn fabric remained. Cushou looked mournfully down at the hole ripped in his cape.

"My favorite Royal cloak..." He mumbled.

Suddenly the forest didn't seem so fun anymore. Shadows twisted and curled themselves into Cushou's worst nightmares. Strange animals that were new to him made scary noises. The thorns on the bush that ripped his cape seemed to form teeth in a gigantic mouth that was going to swallow him whole. He stumbled backwards, then turned and ran.

Cushou's four paws pounded the earth in a constant, frantic rhythm; his heart kept that rhythm, beating four times its regular amount. He was so scared that it didn't matter to him that the branches ripped and tore at his cape. He was focused only on escaping the forest. Cushou reached the forest's edge, his cape in tatters and his mind in panic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the dark folds of the forest, a shadowy creature stalked up to the thorn bush. Its cold, slimy nose went instantly to the shred of fabric, still caught in the thorns. The nose twitched, gathering the scent from the fabric, while its eyes narrowed into slits and its mouth opened, revealing teeth bared in a gruesome smile. Its shadowy form darted in between the trees, stopping and smelling every piece of fabric, following a trail that someone very foolish had laid out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Help!" Cushou cried as he sprinted towards the carriage. The guards gave out muffled noises of surprise, but Cushou was too scared to care. He bursted into the carriage and ran to his father, who looked almost as surprised as the guards.